Girls basketball: Nazareth’s Danni Scully commits to Ohio

Danni Scully confessed that the recruiting process for a time got in her head.

Interested colleges came in late to the Nazareth rising senior. Scully, a 6-foot-1 forward, did not receive her first scholarship offer until after her junior season was completed. At times it was all overwhelming, and stressful.

“I’m looking at all these people getting offers and I’m thinking to myself, ‘What am I doing wrong?’” Scully said. “I just stopped comparing myself to other girls and played. It is mentally challenging at times, there was doubt in my head.”

Scully can put those doubts to bed.

A varsity starter since she was a freshman and key piece of Nazareth’s Class 3A state championship team this past season, Scully on Wednesday announced her verbal commitment to Ohio University.

Scully, who also held offers from Valparaiso and Evansville, said she was sold on Ohio during an unofficial visit with her mom about a month ago.

“I felt like not in a million years would I end up at Ohio, but I went on a visit with my mom and I was like ‘Wow.’ It felt like the right fit to me,” Scully said. “The people were welcoming, the campus was beautiful, everything about it was great. I thought it was the right fit for me.”

Scully said the contact with Ohio started this year, about a month or two before her visit, but the Bobcats have been watching her for three years now. Kaylee Bambule, the video coordinator at Ohio after finishing her collegiate career there, played her prep ball at Montini. Bambule’s brother, Jake, coaches for the Lady Lightning AAU program that Scully plays for.

Scully had a 45-minute phone call with Ohio head coach Bob Boldon before the scholarship offer was extended on her visit. She was set to commit on-site, but Scully’s parents encouraged her to wait things out. She got calls from other coaches, but nothing felt right like Ohio.

“They’ve watched my game grow and watched me grow as a person,” Scully said. “On the first call with coach Bob, we had a 45-minute talk about life – everything except basketball, how much he likes my game and building a relationship. I’ve got to build that relationship with their coaches.”

Scully averaged 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists this past season for Nazareth, which finished 35-1 and won the program’s first state title. Scully will be one of four returning starters for the Roadrunners this season.

Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel said Ohio is getting a “unique player” who can contribute all over the court.

“She’s a big, strong 6-foot kid that can handle the ball and see the floor as good or better than a point guard,” Stritzel said. “A lot of the time Danni plays point guard for us. Ohio is getting a real versatile kid that can do a lot of different things. She has put in a ton of effort in strength training, lost about 10 pounds, making her even more athletic. They’re getting a well-rounded player.”

Scully said that was indeed an element to her game that Ohio was attracted to.

“They really like how versatile I was, how I could go from shooting to the post in a split second, talked about how I can change speeds and fit in,” Scully said. “They are a very versatile team in everything they do.”